Seasons of War
by phantom12
Summary: He stared at the woman before him: a woman he had once shared anything and everything with. She was hardened now, a reckless warrior whose very heart and soul were poisoned by the seasons of war. She was a danger to the team, and they all knew it. It was only a matter of time before she got herself killed, and there was nothing they could do about it.
1. Prologue

AU: He stared at the woman before him. She was hardened now, a reckless warrior whose very heart and soul were poisoned by the seasons of war. And he hoped to God that his hateful words would burn her badly, because if they didn't then it meant she was truly lost to him.

Disclaimer: PR is not mine. I make no money. Belongs to Saban again, right? I forget. Point is: not mine.

Author's Notes: War is not a pretty thing. I've watched soldiers come and go, and while most seem to cope well… some come back and they aren't quite the same. But perhaps in my fairytale sort of mindset, I hold out hope for them. That they can change, despite what they go through. I believe that with the help of friends and family that people can truly realize that the world isn't such a horrible place. This story follows one particular soldier as the realities of war and life on earth slowly ebb away the person she had once been.

Author's notes 2: This was incredibly hard to write since I no longer have a beta reader. This is the prequel to the rest of the story. After this first part, the story will jump back in time to explain how they arrived to this situation.

Dedicated to soldiers, past, present, & future who have suffered, or are still suffering, from PTSD.

* * *

SEASONS OF WAR: PREQUEL

_**19 July 1998, 08:45**_  
_**En Route to Quebec, Canada  
Crane Zord Cockpit**_

Alpha Crane narrowed her eyes as she peered out the windshield to her squadron's formation, consisting of the best pilots the United Nations had to offer. Fourteen fighter pilots flew in a V-formation directly behind her. Satisfied that these particular Air Force pilots were more than capable, she turned her attention to the other formation directly north of her where her field leader, Alpha Falcon, led his own squadron.

"_Sound off,"_ Alpha Wolf, their Operatives Director, called into their private comm links. He was currently broadcasting from their discreet Command Center well hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. _"Toronto, what's your Status?"_

"_Alpha Rex live," _a welcoming voice boomed in her ear.

"_Bravo Frog ready to go,"_ someone else chimed in.

"_Bravo Bear alive and kickin'!"_ a far more feminine voice replied.

"_Alpha Mastadon ready and loaded,"_ another man greeted.

"_We're all present in Toronto and accounted for," _Alpha Rex concluded through the airwaves.

"_Excellent,"_ Alpha Wolf praised. _"Looks like Toronto's ground forces will be well covered with the aid of the Canadian and US Armies. And Quebec?"_

"_Alpha Falcon checking in,"_ came the all-too-confident declaration of her field leader.

"Alpha Crane live," she spoke into the built-in microphone of her black combat helmet. Not that black was a horrible color, she reminded herself thinking of two particular teammates, but it just didn't quite suit her. Not that was pink did anymore though, she thought wryly. It didn't matter these days; _all_ of their uniforms were now black. The only trace of her former color lay on the patch of her left shoulder, which bore a gold emblem laced around a pink crane.

"_We're about 300 kilometers from Quebec," _Alpha Falcon added. _"Both military flight squadrons will be there in no time."_

"_Ay-yi-yiiii,"_ drifted their Command Android, Alpha, through the link.

Alpha Crane raised an eyebrow at the sound of his robotic voice, surprised that he had been allowed access to the channel. He was, after all, now permanently damaged after they recovered him. She had actually been joking two years ago when she suggested that they name one of the teams after their friendly robot. But somehow it stuck, and they turned to military lingo to name the second line of rangers, Team Bravo.

They were their own class of soldiers now, addressed formally by military nations as their team name followed by their animal names. Twenty-years-old and she outranked the entire US Military. She frowned at the thought. Not that any of the Rangers would ever have taken orders from anyone outside Zordon. But he was gone now, and the only local aid came from the UN.

"_Don't worry about us, Alpha,"_ her field leader spoke again. _"We've got this, hands down."_

"_Affirmative,"_ Alpha Wolf said. _"Remember, this is mostly just for show. The power fluctuations and activity stirring in Canada are highly suspicious, but we don't yet know what they mean. Just put up a strong front; make sure whoever's might be causing trouble is aware that we are here to defend if necessary. Who knows? Maybe help has finally come for us. I don't expect too much to go on, but stay on your feet. I know we're not so used to mixing and matching the teams, but given the circumstances this was inevitable. We're on our own in case there's an attack. The others are being directed by Bravo Owl over Australia and New Zealand, and they can't leave their posts."_

Alpha Crane thought somewhat sadly of Team Bravo's Operative Director. Only fourteen and grave responsibility had been thrust upon him at a young age. She found she couldn't remember how old _she_ was when she had first been called up. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the loss of his childhood. But there wasn't time to think about what had already been done. She needed to focus on the recon mission before her. She pushed the young man out of her thoughts.

"_Roger that," _Alpha Rex agreed.

"_I'm switching off and heading to the military channel,"_ Alpha Wolf declared. _"Reserve the private Ranger channel for emergencies and necessary intelligence."_

"_Got it," _Bravo Frog agreed.

"_What about jokes?"_ interfered Alpha Mastodon mischievously from Toronto. _"Can we tell jokes on the Ranger line?"_

She heard Alpha Wolf laugh. _"All right, but just one,"_ he replied, still chuckling.

"_Let's hear it, Elephant Man!"_ Bravo Bear giggled.

Alpha Crane had no tolerance for small talk on the radio waves these days. She ignored them and switched her comm link over to the military channel. She could still hear them in case of emergency anyway. But sometimes she grew weary of their attempts to lighten up such serious situations. Situations like life, she thought bitterly.

She peeked over her left shoulder where her second-in-command American Air Force pilot flew in formation with her. Her relationship with the burly African American pilot, James Miller, was jaded but surprisingly stable. She trusted his judgment when it came to the abilities of the squadron, and he – well, he knew better than to trust her judgment and instead put his faith in her fighting skills.

"Everything smooth, Captain Miller?" she asked him seriously.

"_Yes, Ma'am," _his deep voice replied. He mock saluted her through his windshield when she glanced back at him. She rolled her eyes at the gesture even though she knew he couldn't see her beneath the helmet. She _hated_ being saluted, and he knew it. Unfortunately, that's all the military ever did in her presence besides cower in intimidation or fear.

She brought up her console's computer as she overheard Alpha Falcon check in with his own military second-in-command. A vivid map of their destination Quebec lit up the monitor on her left. They were merely fifteen minutes out.

She was on edge now, as she always was before a mission, no matter how large or small scale. She knew better than to assume that everything would turn out okay, because she knew more than the others that it wouldn't. It _never_ did.

"_Alpha Wolf,"_ Alpha Rex chimed in suddenly through the private Ranger comm link, _"We've spotted lone unidentified fighter pilot of the alien variety flying circles around Toronto. It looks like it's just surveying the area, but I'm not sure."_

Alpha Crane groaned at the predictability of it all. Nothing _ever_ went smoothly for them.

"_Keep a trained eye on it,"_ came Alpha Wolf's stern command. _"We need to figure out if it's hostile. What's it look like? I can run the description through our database and hopefully pull up some results. Can you get a picture of it, Mastodon?"_

"_Gimme a second,"_ Alpha Mastodon replied. _"It's moving so fast, I need to freeze a camera frame and enhance the image."_

"_Whenever you're ready," _Alpha Wolf said, _"I'm standing by."_

It was several long seconds before she finally heard his reply. She listened carefully.

"_Got it! It's a matte black three-tip fighter jet. The markings on the side are remarkably unique…" _he trailed off before continuing._ "Let's see…Two red stripes running long-ways along the side and a-"_

"-A blue oval with three stars in the middle?" Alpha Crane found herself interrupting him, voice shaky. She had barely even registered that she'd switched her mic over to the private channel, let alone held down the talk button on her comm link.

"_Precisely," _Alpha Mastodon replied, surprise lacing his tone. _"How'd you know?"_

Alpha Wolf spoke before she could answer him. _"Can you send me the image you captured?"_

Unbeknownst to her brothers and sister in arms, Alpha Crane's chest began to constrict very tightly as nightmares of her last encounter with this pilot overwhelmed her. A staggering sense of fear gripped her and she subconsciously clutched her controls tightly. She began to plan urgently in her head, knowing full well that she may very well piss off her teammates again. But it didn't matter, she thought. This was too important.

"_Should we take it out?"_ Alpha Bear was asking, when Alpha Crane began to punch buttons into her console to bring up a course straight to Toronto.

"_Not yet," _their Operatives Director replied. _"I've received the image file, but I don't have the aircraft's symbol on file. I really don't know if it's friendly or not, and we can't run the risk that help has finally come for us-"_

Alpha Crane was no longer listening anymore. In her mind, she was always the wiser when it came to giving someone the benefit of a doubt. But she knew arguing with her teammates would get them nowhere. It was time to take precise action. Without a second thought, she flipped her mic back to the military channel.

"Captain Miller," Alpha Crane ordered abruptly, "please take temporary command in my absence. I'm setting course to Toronto."

"_Ma'am?"_ Captain Miller queried hesitantly through the link as she began pressing a series of control buttons in her Zord.

"_Negative, Alpha Crane,"_ Alpha Falcon's disapproving voice warned tensely over the military radio. She had a feeling he already knew she had no intention of listening to him. _"You are not cleared to engage Toronto."_

She ignored him pointedly and maneuvered her Zord downward sharply to get below her formation and clear of both squadrons.

"_Ma'am, I don't think-,"_ Captain Miller called wearily through his radio before he was cut off by Alpha Falcon.

"_I repeat,"_ her field leader interrupted harshly, the frustration evident in his voice, _"Do not engage Toronto! It's covered!"_

She continued course as though he hadn't said a word, setting her Zord southwest toward her new destination. She heard her field leader cuss then order his second-in-command to take over his own squadron. She knew instantly that he was coming after her.

"_Where the hell do you think you're going?!"_ his voice demanded through her comm link. The white light on her console near the radio controls clearly indicated that his message was sent privately through their Ranger channel. The Air Force couldn't hear them.

He pulled his Zord up directly behind hers, as though threatening to strike her down.

She continued to ignore him and pushed the throttle on her thrusters. She knew he wouldn't dare take her out. His Zord may be larger and more powerful on the offensive, but _hers_ was built small for agility and more importantly, _speed_. The distance between them was gradually growing.

"_What's happening?" _Alpha Wolf demanded on the private channel. _"What's going on?!"_

"_Kim's gone AWOL!" _Alpha Falcon roared angrily.

Alpha Crane rolled her eyes for the second time that morning and still refused to reply. She kept her Zord careening toward Toronto, despite her teammates numerous protests.

"_Again?!"_ her oldest friend, Alpha Rex gasped.

It was totally like Jason, she thought to herself, to butt in wherever she was concerned. She ignored the side comments of her teammates as she careened directly to her destination, taking extra time to turn the volume down a little so she wouldn't be distracted by her team. Her Zord, much faster than the capabilities of an Earth jet, would be nearing Toronto within two minutes. And much to her satisfaction, her view of Alpha Falcon grew smaller behind her. Earth became a haze of scenery as she whipped through Canada with frightening speed, with one personal mission in mind.

Damned be those who dare try to stop her. Damned be those who loved her.

"_Kim, PLEASE!" _Alpha Falcon was now begging. Though his voice tugged at a small string in her heart, she refused to relent.

Her eyes narrowed as Toronto neared and searched her map. She slowed significantly. Tiny blips on her monitor map indicated where her Toronto teammates were located. Alpha Mastodon had already charted her enemy's flight path. She peered carefully out her windshield and spotted the offensive several kilometers in the distance.

"Locking on," she whispered to herself as she eyed the mystery aircraft in the distance. Without warning, she began to fire precisely.

"_Do NOT engage!"_ Alpha Rex ordered as soon as she fired.

Her enemy was quick and maneuvered its vehicle out of the way easily. It looped easily and began to accelerate in her direction. She pursed her lips tight as they began a terrifying game of chicken. She ignored the uncontrollable turbulence that shook her violently and held down the fire button, aiming directly for the nose of the black aircraft. To her dismay, her laser shots didn't seem to do much to her enemy except ding the alien metal. Though it was clearly threatening her, it made no attempt to fire, simply careening toward her with kamikaze-like demeanor.

"_You don't even know if that thing is friendly or not!"_ Bravo Frog was telling her.

"It's NOT!" she exclaimed frustratingly into her mic as though it were completely obvious, allowing herself to finally speak to them.

"_You're gonna crash!"_ Bravo Bear shrieked at her as the Crane Zord shuddered toward the enemy craft.

With a small squeal, Alpha Crane whipped her spinning Zord out of the path of the rocketing mystery aircraft, just barely missing it. She forced her Zord upside down and pulled back on the joystick with all her might, willing it not to stall out.

"_Oh, God!"_ she heard one of the men say through her comm link as she fought for control of the Zord. In the confusion, she wasn't sure who had spoken.

She was completing her loop, trying to maneuver the Zord toward the black jet to fire again, when the sky above her flashed like lightning. She knew instantly that the enemy was engaging her. She held her breath as she flew through the line of fire, and finally let it out when she escaped the momentary onslaught unscathed.

"_Take it down!"_ This time, she recognized who was speaking. Alpha Rex's frantic order was repeated again. _"I said take it down!"_

"_We can't!"_ Alpha Mastodon's panicked voice replied. _"We'll hit the Crane Zord!"_

"Let me take him!" Alpha Crane roared through her headset as she banked left, sacrificing speed.

"_Falcon,"_ Alpha Frog asked desperately, ignoring her. _"Where the hell are you?!"_

"_I'm almost there!"_ her field leader answered quickly.

Alpha Crane growled exasperatedly at her teammates' exchange. She didn't want his help.

The black jet had once again turned on her with frightening speed and began to fire. Alpha Crane was able to see it though, and with Ranger-like reflexes, maneuvered her Zord skillfully out of reach.

Just as she escaped once again, the Falcon Zord roared through the sky above her and began its assault upon the black jet. Anger welled inside her as the Falcon Zord actually hit the jet successfully, causing it to wobble just slightly.

"Get out of the way!" she screamed at Alpha Falcon. "Let me do this!"

"_You're out of your mind!"_ Alpha Falcon hollered back.

"Stay out of this, Oliver!" she cried as she fired at the aircraft once again. Her pink lasers were suddenly accompanied by his lightning-bright white ones. She growled again, but continued to shoot. A part of her knew that together they had a chance to take out the enemy aircraft.

She frowned at the thought. Despite their significant differences they worked well together, especially in the sky, and she _hated_ that fact.

Their adversary was clearly an expert veteran, weaving easily through their tirade of lasers. Alpha Crane pushed her Zord forward, taking advantage of her speed.

"_Where are you going? Stick with me!"_ Alpha Falcon ordered. _"We can do this together, dammit!"_

She ignored him for the second time that day and purposefully threw herself before his Zord, forcing him to stop firing to avoid hitting her.

"_Get out of the way!"_ he barked at her.

In response, she pushed forward and left him blinded by her exhaust path.

This was her moment, she thought readily, as she neared the enemy jet. She charged her lasers to blast this sucker out of the sky, ignoring the threats her field leader was delivering her from his blind spot behind the Crane Zord.

She narrowed her eyes determinedly as she let loose the charged up laser and watched with delight as it made contact with the black jet's tail. The jet shook with stupor and sparked. Black smoke was now leaking from it.

"Yes!" she cheered to herself as she charged up another shot, determined to make her kill.

But before she could fire, the black jet dove down unexpectedly. Unwilling to let it escape her, she followed after, pointing her Zord downward. She followed it straight into its smoky path, blinded for just a moment. But when she came through the smoke and debris, he was nowhere to be seen.

She cussed angrily when she realized he had disappeared from her radar as well. For a brief moment, she thought that perhaps she had successfully killed it.

But when she heard Alpha Falcon's agitated voice explode through her headset, she knew she was wrong. _"Kimberly! LOOK OUT!"_

The severity of his tone shook her before she saw the lasers flying past her windshield. She swore vigorously when the Zord convulsed thunderously upon impact. She squealed sharply as she fought for control of the Zord. Her teammates' voices were shouting incomprehensibly through the comm link. She was getting dizzy.

She braced herself for the finishing blow, but it never came. She wondered where the black jet had gone. Unable to assess the situation completely, she instead focused on putting out the fire that was ravaging her left engine intake. Somehow, through the turbulence and nausea she was able to bring up the controls and set the Zord's automated defense mechanism to focus on her left side.

The fire was soon doused, though her wing was still smoking. She had limited control of the Zord, but control nonetheless. She forced the Zord out of its spin and leveled it so she was no longer darting towards the ground. The black jet was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" she gasped into her headset once her Zord was steadied. She moaned, out of breath and incredibly nauseous.

"_What? Now you're talking to us?"_ came the snide reply of Alpha Falcon, though she thought she could hear a hint of relief in his voice.

"What _happened_?" she repeated intensely, refusing to acknowledge her disobedience.

"_Falcon saved your ass!"_ Alpha Rex cut in. _"The damn jet was about to KILL you! Tommy interfered and shot it up!"_

Alpha Crane rolled her eyes, knowing that her safety wasn't the priority here. "_Where_ is it?!" she demanded urgently.

"_It hyper-jumped the hell outta here,"_ Alpha Falcon replied, his voice trembling with anger.

Alpha Crane swore again. "You let it get away?!" she wailed furiously.

"_I damaged it pretty good,"_ he explained, voice still tense. _"But there's no way we can track it now."_

"Fuck!" she moaned. Her chest still felt tight. The heaviness of what had just happened began to dawn on her.

"_We need to get you out of here,"_ Alpha Falcon ordered. _"Get your damn Zord to the hangar before you pop your other engine intake. I'll escort you."_

Alpha Crane sighed, knowing better than to ignore yet another order. "Roger that," she replied dejectedly.

Without another word, she steered her shaky Zord on his right flank flying in formation with him as he led the way to their private hangar.

_**19 July 1998, 10:15  
Ranger Hangar Bay  
Hidden in the Rocky Mountains**_

When Tommy finally climbed out of his Zord, he had seen just in time as Kimberly sent her helmet careening toward the hangar wall in frustration. The helmet, though unscathed, made an echoing crash as it bounced off the wall leaving a small mark.

Tommy stomped thunderously towards her as he slipped his own helmet off and let it drop to the ground noisily. She looked up at him with wide, defensive eyes as he approached. He knew instantly that she was going to try to make a run for it.

"We're not talking about this," she muttered mutinously as she stalked away from him.

Unfortunately for her, Tommy gave her no choice in the matter. He was quick to grab her wrist and spin her so she was forced to face him.

Despite her enhanced Ranger strength, he was much stronger and she found herself unable to wring her arms out of his grip. She glared up at him in rage as though daring him to strike her.

"Let _go_ of me!" she spat venomously, trying vainly to pull herself from his vice-like grip.

"What were you thinking?!" he roared, ignoring her request. "You _instigated_ that dogfight! That goes against all that we stand for!"

"He _wasn't_ friendly!" she screamed. "I couldn't let him kill the others!"

"So you _do_ know that pilot," he concluded, shaking his head disappointedly. "That does _not _give you the right to abandon your squadron and commit mutiny! Why the hell didn't you just _tell_ us over the comm links that he wasn't friendly?! The guys could've handled it! We could have worked _together_ on this!"

"You wouldn't understand," Kimberly muttered darkly, her voice dropped low and trembling.

"Then _make_ me, dammit!" he cried out, shaking her madly. He was so enraged with the fact that she had shut herself off from all of them in the past year. "For _once_ in your life, _tell me why you're doing this!"_

She tore her gaze away from him and it enraged him even more. He was fed up with her emotional wall. It hadn't mattered all this time how hard any of them, even Jason, had tried to bring her back to them. She wanted nothing to do with the person she once was. And it killed him to see that.

"Are you _trying_ to kill yourself?" he demanded. "Because that's what's going to happen if you keep pulling stupid stunts like this! Do you think we _want_ to lose another team member?!"

At his hurtful words she tried to knee him in the gut, but he blocked it easily with his hip, yanking her closer to gain more control.

"ANSWER ME!" he boomed into her face. "We can't afford to lose _you_ too!"

For a very brief second, she seemed to still, but her momentary grasp on the reality of what she had done was gone before he could even register it. Instead of answering, she screamed again, "Let go of me, Tommy!"

"You want me to let go?!" he bellowed dangerously. His grip tightened, and he knew he was hurting her. "Fine!"

He thrust her away from him violently, and she stumbled backwards but caught her balance. He ignored the way she rubbed her wrists in pain.

He panted wearily as he stared at the woman before him: a woman he had once shared anything and everything with. She was hardened now, a reckless warrior whose very heart and soul were poisoned by the seasons of war. He wanted to hate her, his best friend and former lover, but all he could feel anymore was pity and grievance. She was a danger to the team, and they all knew it. It was only a matter of time before she got herself killed, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I'm done with you," he growled, voice low and dangerous. He shook his head at her. "I'm done with all of your bullshit. And I'm done cleaning up after you."

He hoped to God that his hateful words would burn her badly, because if they didn't then it meant she was truly lost to him.

He watched as she steeled herself up with a sharp breath. Before he could say another word, she disappeared in a stream of pink, teleporting as far away from him as possible.

Tommy swore. And before he knew it, he sent the bench next to him flying in a deafening crash against their hangar wall. His frustrated roar echoed in the hangar for several long seconds as he pulled at his hair.

He stood there panting still, trying to calm himself and force the negative energy out of his body. But he couldn't stand dealing with this. With _her_.

"She gone?" a voice startled him.

Tommy looked up at the hangar doorway entrance where his longtime friend and Operatives Director Billy stood leaning. Tommy nodded as he ran a sheepish hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry about the bench," Tommy began pitifully.

"You were loud," Billy explained unnecessarily as he walked up to Tommy. "Not the bench, I mean. You and Kim."

Tommy let out a frustrated sigh as he and Billy proceeded to pick up the bench and return it to its right-side up position. "How many times has this happened now?" the former White Ranger asked rhetorically.

"By my count," Billy replied, "At least once a month since…" He trailed off awkwardly, and Tommy was glad he didn't finish. None of them wanted to relive the horrors of that dreadful time.

Not a mere several years ago, _he _was the brooding rebellious one and _Kim_ was the one having trouble taming him. At what point in time was it exactly when they had switched roles? He struggled to figure out where it all went wrong. Was it when Zordon first offered them spots on the team? When the Space Rangers went missing? Or was it simply when the first wave of attacks started.

Tommy Oliver could only struggle to decipher when exactly their lives become so fucked up.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Two Years Ago  
The 1996 Olympic Games  
Atlanta, Georgia  
"Day Zero"**_

This glorious moment had had been years in the making. A wave of heart-lifting fulfillment rushed through her, and she gasped for air through joyous tears. She had done it: after years of intense training, years of neglecting her social life, and after giving up _so much_ more than anyone but a collect few in the entire world could understand. Kimberly Hart had struck gold.

Donned in patriotic colors, the medal hung heavily over her windbreaker suit. She was so giddy that although the crowd couldn't see it, her toes wiggled furiously in her team running shoes. She sang along to her nation's anthem as proudly as loudly as she could. Kimberly searched the crowd desperately for her mother's warm face and smiled widely when she found it – happy tears spilling freely next to her stepfather and Kim's current boyfriend, Andrew Long. When the anthem finally ended, she found herself out of breath with excitement.

Within seconds, however, she found herself squealing with delight when her coaches took turns sweeping her into tight hugs as she stepped off the podium. The camera flashes were blinding her, but she didn't care. She was bombarded immediately by the media, something she normally didn't like. But given the circumstances, she welcomed the public attention with a broad smile.

Familiar arms swept her suddenly into a fierce hug, and she knew immediately from the musky smell and tan olive skin that it was James. He let go only to shake her by the shoulders, screaming above the commotion, "You did it!"

She could only laugh tearfully in response at her good friend, whose dark brown eyes were glistening with pride.

James McCombs had been her first friend upon arriving in Florida. As a medical trainer for the women's team, they had hit it off while he was checking her over for residual damage from a prior fall from the balance beam – one that landed her in the hospital. They had clicked instantly, despite her being a teenager and he in his twenties. Kim and James were very much alike, creative and outgoing yet also feeling completely out of place in Florida.

Gay and new in town, James had been socially shunned for a while from existing members of the facility. That is, until, Kimberly had gotten a hold of him and changed all of that. He, in turn, gave her a home away from home.

"Thanks for stickin' with me the whole way!" Kimberly hollered over the excitement of the crowd.

While James took a moment to embrace Coach Gunther Schmidt, Kimberly was distracted by a friendly acquaintance, a reporter by the name of Michael Connolly, whom she had met on numerous interviews throughout her professional gymnastics career.

"Ms. Hart!" he greeted her enthusiastically, flashing his charismatic smile. Behind him, his faithful cameraman filmed their encounter dutifully.

"Hi!" Kimberly welcomed him with a glow, wiping her bangs to the side. She was beginning to sweat from all the commotion.

"First of all," he began formally, his voice straining over the uproar, "Congratulations on your all around gold medal win!"

"Thank you so much!" Kimberly gushed into his microphone. Before she knew it, other news crews had cameras and boom microphones orbiting around her to record the conversation. Though normally she'd be disturbed at the sight, tonight she simply laughed.

"This is your _first_ All-Around Gold, am I right?" Mike asked.

"Yes, that's correct!" Kim said, still smiling. "I took Bronze All-Around at the Pan Globals, and that itself was such an _amazing_ feat! So you can imagine how awesome I feel right now!"

"It seems to me like you're just sweeping the gymnastics world!" Mike said. "Two years ago, you were an unknown, and now – well _now_ every little girl in America is going to have a poster of you in her bedroom!"

Kimberly only laughed humbly in embarrassment at the thought.

"So," Mike continued, "What's your secret to such outstanding success?"

"Well, to be honest," Kimberly explained, "If it wasn't the for the support of my family, especially my mom, my coaching staff, teammates, and my friends back home in California-"

She paused with furrowed eyebrows when Mike suddenly looked like he wasn't paying attention. "One moment, Ms. Hart," he interrupted urgently, placing a hand on his earpiece to hear his information feed correctly.

Kim blinked, surprised at the interruption, initially offended until she saw the panic strike Mike Connolly's face.

"What's going on?" his cameraman asked suddenly.

"Not sure," Mike replied worriedly, "I've got a report coming in stating that the Olympic Track & Field Arena has been completely obliterated after suffering a deadly terrorist attack!"

"What?" Kimberly interrupted this time, her chest stiffening at the news.

Mike continued as though he hadn't heard her, "Apparently there's an organized global onslaught going on right now in several cities across the world - Moscow, New York, Sydney, Berlin, London, Paris, and now Atlanta… Too many to count. It sounds like Angel Grove is taking the heaviest hits!"

Kimberly's heart dropped. She looked around desperately as James found his way back to her side. Apparently, other media crews were experiencing the same reports. They had completely stopped focusing on the Olympic Games and were now murmuring worriedly among themselves.

"I can't confirm the reports right now," Mike said. "The communication lines are all blocked up."

"What did you say?" Coach Schmidt interjected, just now overhearing her supposed interview. His protective hand was placed onto Kimberly's shoulder instinctively. "Who's behind this?"

"Not sure," Mike replied, his voice trembling. "Some are saying they saw Lord Zedd's armies, and some saying they're completely unidentified forces… Definitely of the alien variety though. The UN's emergency cavalries are already on the move to defend… Oh, _God_!"

Kimberly grabbed Mike's arm a little harshly, surprising him greatly. She seemed to have forgotten that live cameras were still broadcasting her every move globally. He looked down at her in alarm as she asked sharply, "_Where are the Space Rangers?_"

The reporter frowned at her serious demeanor, as though a little taken aback by her sudden authority. "It sounds like no one knows," he replied anxiously.

Kim's face fell. She was instantly on edge, knowing she had to get out of the arena and report immediately to the Command Center. This was certainly a situation that required her help, retired or not. She thought immediately of her communicator, left safely in her unit of the American team's locker room.

"I gotta get out of here," she mumbled frantically, looking around toward the locker rooms.

"Kim?" James asked, grabbing her hand and stopping her from bolting to retrieve her communicator. "What're you doing?"

"James, I gotta get outta-," She didn't complete her sentence.

A feeling of dread overwhelmed her and her heart rate picked up dramatically. She looked up instinctively at the arena's ceiling. Within half a second it seemed to cave in on itself. Her mouth fell open helplessly as a loud crash echoed dangerously above them.

Confusion and apprehension were immediately replaced by chaos and terror. People began to scream and scatter as debris and beams came crashing toward the crowd below. The ceiling lights went out for several long moments before they flickered and sparked dangerously. She heard and saw as several giant arena lamps fell sickeningly into the crowd. Kim knew instantly that people were dying.

Some media crews dispersed instantly, abandoning their cameras and microphones. Others remained rooted to their spots, unable to cease filming.

"_Get down!_" Kim screamed, pulling James and Coach Schmidt down next to her with unnatural strength. She felt James' arms tuck around her torso. She reached out a hand desperately to find Coach Schmidt nestled on her other side. She wasn't sure where Mike and his cameraman were anymore. She tried to lift her head to find where they had gone, but the smoke and debris were too thick.

More debris rained furiously down upon them. They began to cough violently, unable to avoid inhaling the now dirt-filled air. Coach Schmidt was saying something in comprehensible next to her, but she never heard. For several long minutes, they lay helpless on the ground. She felt something catch her leg as it fell, but she was sure it only tore her windbreaker pants.

She prayed that nothing else would hit them as the building continued to crumble. She thought frantically of her mother, Pierre, and Andrew – who were surely now lost among the crowd.

"_What's happening?!"_ James cried out when the dust began to clear.

Although she had good inkling of what _was _going on, she didn't answer him. She knew that a good chunk of the arena ceiling was now missing, because she could feel the cool night air _whooshing_ in. She wiped furiously at her bangs to get the dust off so it wouldn't get into her eyes and hinder her sight.

She couldn't help letting out a whimper as she looked into the crowd. The lights were flickering and dim. People scrambled desperately over audience seats toward exits while others tried to find their loved ones. The arena main floor was flooded with dirt and fallen cement. A mixture of athletes, coaches, and news crews were scrambling frantically.

Already, she could see a mass of injured and dead people. She spotted an unconscious fellow teammate with a large gash over her head, being pulled frantically from the rubble where Team USA's benches once lay. Several pale human limbs donned in red, white, and blue jumpsuits jutted out awkwardly from beneath fallen pillars. Blood was smeared on her beloved balance beam, above where two Russian athletes now lay lifeless.

People were dying everywhere she looked. The screams of terror began to grow louder as more of the dust cleared, and people were now finding more and more corpses among each other.

"_Oh, God_," Kim muttered fearfully at the scene that played out before her eyes. "No!"

Beside her, Coach Schmidt was swearing fearfully in his native tongue.

"What _was _that?!" James coughed from beside her, and she found some form of comfort with his strong grip around her shoulders.

"I think we're under attack," Kimberly gasped. "We need to help these peop-!"

She stopped immediately upon hearing ominous and familiar sounds. It was a mixture of whirring and wind-like whipping. She cringed inwardly. She followed the sounds to the stands where, to her horror, putties were teleporting into the scattered and bleeding crowds.

Kimberly turned just in time as a gold light materialized on the on the open floor mats near the center of the arena. She felt light-headed when a golden winged monster appeared in the light's stead, cackling manically at the bloodcurdling scene that appeared before him.

"What _is_ that?!" James asked.

"Oh, no!" Kimberly muttered with a miserable shake of her head. "It's Goldar!"

"What?" James asked her, unsure if he heard her correctly. "What's a _Goldar_?"

"It's something _very_ bad," Kim said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We need to get out of here," Coach Schmidt was telling her.

She thought again of her communicator, which was tucked safely into her unit in the locker room. She wasn't sure she'd get a chance to reach it.

"_RANGER!"_ Goldar bellowed dangerously, his voice booming over the screaming crowd. Kim thought for a moment that he was using some sort of megaphone. He turned slowly in a three-sixty degree motion, probing the crowd for her. _"SHOW YOURSELF OR MORE CIVILIANS DIE!"_

"He's looking for a Ranger?" James asked incredulously. "_Here?! _Why would a Ranger be at the Olympics?"

Kimberly suddenly felt quite fortunate that Goldar had materialized on the opposite end of the arena floor, a good hundred feet away from her. He would have terrible odds at identifying her among the chaos from this distance. It would give her time to plan – even if only for just a few minutes.

She suddenly realized how exposed the three of them were. Severely. She had to acquire some sort of shelter, somewhere out of Goldar's line of sight, or he would surely spot her soon. She scanned the arena with skillfully trained eyes and saw it.

"C'mon!" Kimberly ordered. Before they could stop her, she was crawling through the debris toward the judges' now overturned tables, hoping that the chaos of the arena would continue to cloak her from Goldar's view.

"Kim, _wait_!" James cried out after her.

She motioned earnestly over her shoulder for them to follow her. Thankfully, they did. Several people tripped over her as she crawled, in their haste to escape the monster. She didn't have time to mourn the few bodies she had to climb over to reach her temporary hiding spot.

With a great kick, she managed to maneuver the table so that it would block Goldar's view of them completely. Coach Schmidt was still sputtering when he and James finally caught up with her.

Kim blinked, the reality of her circumstances hitting her. Had she not once been a Ranger, she would've assumed the Olympics would be an ideal locale for onslaught especially with a high-volume casualty potential. In this reality, however, she knew better.

"PINK RANGER!" the golden monster demanded again from out of her view. "I DEMAND THAT YOU SHOW YOURSELF!"

Kimberly paled instantly, her breath hitching in her throat. She found it unbelievably hard to breathe. Goldar was here for _her_. All of these people were dying for _her_. She didn't even know if her parents had survived the crash.

"What's he talking about?" she heard Coach Schmidt ask through her stupor. "Who's he looking for?!"

"_COME OUT, RANGER!"_ Goldar roared again. Kimberly risked a peek around the overturned table, and widened eyes found him swinging his fiery sword threateningly as he continued to scan the mass of people for her.

James made to stand up to get a better view, but she pulled him back down. "No!" she shouted harshly.

He looked back at her, clearly confused. "What-?"

She interrupted him, turning to Coach Schmidt. "Find my parents and Andy, and get them out of here!" she ordered vehemently at the elderly man.

"But Kimberly-!" Schmidt began to argue.

"_We_ need to get out of here too-!" James started above the screams around them.

"He's after _me_!" she interrupted again desperately, taking turns to glare at each of them individually. She grabbed Coach Schmidt's hand and squeezed. "Get them out of here! _Please!_"

Schmidt shook his head, and she knew instantly that he was still processing her admission to being a Ranger. His wrinkled worried eyes searched her face desperately for what she was about to do. She felt like a stranger in his eyes.

Finally, he resolved to honor her request. He nodded, gave her a rough kiss on the forehead, and - unable to verbalize his goodbye without shed tears - disappeared into the chaotic crowd without another word.

Kimberly watched with bated breath as her coach crawled away, disappearing through the crowd. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight that James forced her attention upon him.

"You – you're _one_ of them!" James breathed, aghast. "You're a Ranger!"

"James," Kimberly shook her head at him. "You need to get the hell out of here as well!"

"NO!" he protested stubbornly, shaking his head. He put his hands on her shoulders firmly.

"James, Goldar will _kill_ you if you don't get out of here!" Kimberly explained earnestly, gesturing to the other side of the table where they hid.

"Wha – I'm not leaving you!" He said it with such ferocity that she was momentarily reminded of her childhood friend Jason. And that thought instilled more panic in her. Were the others under attack as well?

James interrupted her thoughts again. "You can't seriously be planning to _fight_ this guy?!"

Kim let out a frustrated breath, unable to explain that she had done so in the past and survived. She couldn't let James die here tonight. Enough had fallen in this stadium because of her. "Don't worry about it, now go!"

"No!" he defied her angrily. "I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"There's no _time_ for this!" Kimberly growled at him.

"PINK RANGER!" Goldar's voice interrupted their argument. "IF YOU DO NOT COME FORTH, I WILL BEHEAD THIS CHILD BEFORE YOUR EYES!"

"No!" Kim whimpered, eyes darting up from their hiding place.

Goldar had managed to grab hold of one of the Olympic flower bearers. The tiny brunette of twelve cried helplessly in his grasp, the blade of Goldar's sword threatening to slice her neck. The child was already bruised and dirty from the crash and wailing desperately.

"Let me help!" James screamed at Kim. Angry tears were forming at the corners of his eyes. Kimberly swore under her breath, knowing he wasn't going to leave her for anything. "I can help! Just tell me what to do!"

She licked her lips and looked at him seriously, finally recognizing that he might actually be able to help. After all, it did not look like the Space Rangers were coming. They were on their own. "As soon as it's safe, get the kid!" she shouted at him. There were more screams in the auditorium seats, and she looked up seeing that the Putties were now attacking the civilians.

She grabbed James by the collar and pulled him closer so he could hear her clearly. "After the kid is safe, kill the Putties!" she explained, pointing at the grey menacing soldiers who marched dangerously through the crowd. "Get people to hit them in the Z!" She pointed at the center of her chest where she knew their weak spots were.

He nodded feverishly, and she was somewhat glad to have him there. He had, after all, taken up martial arts at her encouragement. He was no Jason or Tommy, but he was good in his own right.

"Go!" she shoved him out of their hiding spot and watched him crawl along the side of the raised mat, where hopefully Goldar couldn't see him.

"PINKIE!" Goldar called out teasingly. Kimberly heard the little girl scream. She peeked over the overturned table once again and saw that he was dragging his blade gently across her cheek, drawing blood.

She steeled herself up momentarily behind the table, shutting her eyes and praying for the strength to fight him. Before she knew it, she had stood from behind the table and was marching toward her long-time adversary. He hadn't seen her yet. She climbed bravely onto the raised floor mat and into his view.

"LET HER GO!" she ordered him, falling back into a fighting stance.

Goldar turned at the sound of her voice, cocking his head curiously as though he had not quite expected her to face him completely unarmed.

Kimberly, on the other hand, felt her senses were tingling. Her awareness was heightened dramatically. A fire from within burned hot, but in a comforting way. She was instantly taken back to a time when she felt like this 24/7. She could feel the residual power within her glowing.

Billy had once speculated that she might still be able to morph as a Ninjetti, but only when her power link and adrenaline were pumping. In other words, it would only work in the face of true danger. Which was now, Kimberly thought to herself miserably.

But she couldn't morph in public, she knew. There were too many witnesses, and she was sure that cameras were still rolling somewhere.

"Ah!" Goldar said, his voice no longer bellowing like a microphone as he seemingly found his prey. "Good of you to finally show, cowardly Ranger!"

Kimberly twitched when he called her a Ranger, painfully aware that they were being recorded by media crews.

"I _said_, let her go!" Kimberly spat, sounding far braver than she felt.

He cackled dangerously. "As you _wish_, Princess," he laughed.

In one swift movement, he twisted the child's arm sickeningly and Kimberly heard it crack. The child screamed in agony, and he yanked her aside and out of his way by her hair. She writhed in distress on the ground where she lay.

"After all," Goldar continued dangerously, "a deal is a _deal_!"

He turned toward the injured child and whipped his sword laterally, sending a fireball at her, with intent to kill.

"_NO!"_ Kimberly cried out, horrified.

He was too quick, and she was too far to react. But before the fireball could burn the child alive, something had pounced on her, effectively grasping her, and they both rolled away. Kimberly realized that it was James who was the child's savior. He had been quick to retrieve the child, and the fireball merely singed him.

Kimberly couldn't suppress her distress when it happened, but at least the child was alive.

"Puny human!" Goldar cried viciously at James. He raised his sword arm to strike again, this time where James was holding the child, but Kimberly interrupted him.

"It's _me_ you want, isn't it Goldy Pants?" she chided him, taking several steps closer to make sure she had his attention to keep the other two safe.

Goldar began to shake and make a horrible gurgling sound, and at first Kim thought that maybe he was having a seizure. Until she realized he was _laughing_.

"It won't matter, Ranger!" he said between cackles. "They will die tonight either way. As will every last person remaining in this arena… once I'm finished with you!"

Kim was unfazed by his speech. After all, she had heard many like it before. She had accomplished what she needed to keep the survivors alive – _for now_.

She refused to take her focus off her mortal foe, but saw out of the corner of her eye that James was now pulling the wailing child carefully off the mat and out of the way.

"You wanted me, Goldar!" Kim demanded fiercely, once again falling back into her fighting stance. "Come and get me!"

With a great howl, Goldar lunged at her with frightening speed. She was clumsy to block every kick and punch at first, but with each powerful blow she felt the instinct had never left her. Each block gradually became as graceful and precise as they once were on the battlefield. The minutes flew by, and with each move she grunted with force.

She roared after a series of acute defensive maneuvers and found an opening between two incoming punches. Her foot slammed into his torso so hard that he stumbled backwards in surprise.

The golden monster seemed to heave in embarrassment and anger at his own weakness. She realized just then that he had not utilized his sword in the first wave of attacks. Instead, Goldar stood there and seemed to view her in a different light.

It dawned on Kim instantly that Goldar had assumed she would be an easy kill without her powers. However, he failed to recognize her residual power levels and the fact that she had trained harder for physical perfection in the past two years than she had ever done so as a Ranger. In other words, he had severely underestimated her.

Several gunshots distracted her momentarily. She risked a sideways glance where a few strong-willed survivors were now fighting back against the Putties. She smiled inwardly at the unmistakable sound of Putties being dismantled, a feat that can only be accomplished by hitting the Zs on their chests. James must be out there by now, leading the fight.

Goldar noticed as well, for he growled in annoyance at his army. But to be able to help his Putties, they both knew he had to go through Kim.

"Raaaagh!" he cried, lunging at her once more. His desperation drove every punch he sent at her. She was quick to block, but struggled to remember her training to breathe while fighting. She was beginning to grow tired from defense, and her arms and legs were bruising from each block.

Goldar swung wildly at her face, and she ducked easily, but missed as he sent a knee into her gut. She let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of her. Determined to get away from him, she slid easily underneath him and between his legs. On her back behind him, she kicked upwards at his backside and sent him forward.

"You pink brat!" Goldar bellowed as he turned to face her.

Taking advantage of his momentary stupor, Kim scrambled away from him to put space between herself and Goldar. Admittedly, she was faring better than either of them thought she would. But she was hurting, and she knew she would lose this fight if she didn't find a real strategy.

She panted as she crouched low, left hand on the ground for support and the other up and behind her – instinctively ready to begin the Ninjetti morphing sequence. Kimberly knew the gravity of her situation demanded that she at least _try_ to morph, even if Billy's theory was wrong.

The question that haunted her now was identity revelation. Goldar called her out as a Ranger and she had stepped forward, breaking her ultimate promise to Zordon. But if she successfully morphed, mere audience speculation would turn into absolute confirmation. And the entire world would know _exactly_ who Kimberly Hart really was – not a valley girl, not an Olympic Gold Medalist, but a _Power_ _Ranger_.

She would be damned if the morphing sequence worked.

But so would every last human being in this arena if she didn't try.

Goldar seemed to comprehend what she was about to do when she stood up straight, and he stepped back doubtfully, or perhaps in fear.

Kimberly shouted the three words that came naturally to her, waving her right arm from her left hip, then high above her head in a semi-circle. As soon as she thrust her hands out in front of her chest, she knew she had done it. A flash of pink engulfed her, and she emerged masked in her old uniform.

She ignored the screams of surprise from their audience, feeling brave clad in pink Ninjetti drapery.

"Impossible!" Goldar roared at her. "You don't _have_ power anymore!"

"Once a Ranger!" she screamed at him, balling a fist in his direction, "_Always_ a Ranger!"

"I left you nearly _dead_ the last time you bore the suit you wear now!" Goldar declared.

Kimberly's stomach twisted at the thought of that traumatic incident nearly two years ago.

Goldar continued, "I had orders last time to keep you alive. But _this_ time, Zedd intends for me to finish what I started!"

"You will _fail_!" Kimberly spat at him. "Just as you _always_ have!"

In response, Goldar merely roared, his voice echoing dangerously through what was left of the Arena.

Perhaps it was the fear that drove her, but this time it was _she_ who stepped forward on the offense.

Her tiny balled first connected with his face utilizing lightning Ranger speed. Using the momentum of her punch, she completed a circle and whipped him with her opposite leg, letting out a loud and familiar, "Hi-YAH!"

She frowned when he flew several feet away. She severely wished the Ninjetti uniform came with a blaster so she could shoot him. But it was a mere hybrid of a suit and its capabilities were limited.

Kim charged again in an effort to catch him while he was weakened. Unfortunately, he was back up on his feet by the time she reached him, with his sword rematerialized in his hands.

She ducked from the blade that was intended her neck and sent a punch to his stomach. He blocked it easily and swung his blade again.

Without the Ninjetti suit, she would have been sliced open. And although weaker than an actual Ranger uniform, it provided a great deal of protection. Nevertheless, she was knocked onto her back with great force. She thrashed at her chest in agony.

She was dazed and out of breath on the ground, her chest screaming in pain. Her vision was blurred a few moments before she was able to focus on Goldar, who was standing over her with his sword ready to be slammed into her.

"You see, Ranger," Goldar growled gloatingly down at her. "I told you I would kill you this time around!"

She wanted to retort something clever, but found she didn't have the breath for it.

She looked past Goldar at a narrow metal beam that hung low above him, ready to kill the both of them at any moment. She prayed the beam would fall upon her before Goldar got the chance to be her undoing.

She felt tears well up when she realized the beam would not fall. It was still firmly attached to whatever was keeping it in place. Goldar raised his sword high above her.

Kimberly shut her eyes and thought of her mother and the other Rangers. Would her mother be able to give her a proper burial? Would the Rangers be able to avenge her death? Were they even alive?

She waited fearfully for the finishing blow, but instead heard Goldar cry out in pain. She opened her eyes and found James standing behind Goldar, who was roaring miserably. She saw a piece of wood sticking out of Goldar's shoulder.

James, wide-eyed, looked terrified at what he had done. And now his only weapon was sticking out of the monster that towered before him.

Kimberly's trained warrior's eye caught Goldar's movement far before James did. His sword glinted momentarily in the dim lighting.

"James-!" she gasped, reaching a hand out to him. "_Run!_"

But it was far too late, and she and Goldar knew it.

With one quick sweep, James was jabbed straight through his abdomen, and Kimberly was sickened to see the blade sticking out of his back.

"_James!_" Kimberly's scream seemed to echo through the air. Her breath had finally caught up with her.

Goldar laughed at him, as though a child who found a cartoon far too entertaining. He pulled his sword violently out of James's torso. And as he did, a small streak of blood spilled out of James's mouth and onto his shirt. Goldar kicked the severely wounded man off of the mounted floor routine stage, where he crumpled to the ground and out of Kim's view.

Coughing, Kimberly managed to edge away from Goldar with her elbows while still on her back. The diabolical monster was still laughing. She fought through tears to focus on the fight, and not on what had just happened to James.

"Pathetic human!" Goldar cried out amusedly as he pulled the wooden stake out of his shoulder. "That was barely even a flesh wound!" He turned to taunt Kimberly, now several feet away. "What? You can't see him? I'd be happy to give you a description. He's bleeding far more heavily than I am!"

Kimberly was unable to suppress the sob that escaped due to his hurtful words.

"I can't wait to see how much _you_ bleed, Pink Ranger!" he cackled again. "And when I'm through, I promise to return you to your precious mother, and slit her throat as she weeps over your dead body!"

After three deep breaths, she was able to stop crying. His words had numbed her terror, and brought on something else in its stead. For the first time in her entire life, she knew what it meant to truly _hate_ someone. She wasn't sure where the energy was rising from. Whether from residual power or hatred, she cared not. Her body pulsated as she watched Goldar continue to laugh.

"And with every Ranger I slaughter henceforth, it will forever be because _you_ could not stop me!"

Goldar had lost it. His psychosis and cockiness had blocked him once again from seeing what was truly in front of him. Not mere athlete or Ranger any longer. He had unknowingly fathered the monster that Kimberly Hart was about to become.

She stood slowly, breath calm and even. She eyed him as he laughed at her confident posture, seemingly sure that he would be the victor of their battle. The residual power was slower than it had once been to replenish her strength. But it was still working.

She steeled herself up for the last wave of their battle, intent to kill.

Not completely aware of what she was doing, Kimberly let out a violent cry and charged at the creature before her. She sent a powerful elbow into Goldar's neck. It caused him to gag and stop laughing. She sent a round-house kick to his head, making him to stagger. She was sure something in his neck had been damaged, because he seemed to be choking.

"DIE!" she commanded him.

She saw flashes of pink with every following punch and jab. Billy had been right. She felt the power with every drop of desperation to stay alive. And right now, she _really_ wanted to live.

She refused to cease her assault, moving with frightening speed as she attacked viciously. She was vaguely aware of the frantic screams she was letting out with every barrage of blows.

"AGGHH!" Goldar gurgled as he was able to block only every few thrusts of her attacks.

Kim knocked him to his knees with vigor, where he was now the same height as her. She took no hesitation in sending another round house kick to his face. She felt somehow stronger than she had before when in the actual suit. The monster collapsed onto his back. And although she had the upper hand now, she still felt sick to her stomach.

But she had done it; she had disarmed the winged creature. In her hands was his heavy sword. She looked up to make sure she had placed him precisely where she intended.

She grunted loudly as she thrust his sword upward and threw it at the metal rod that tethered the beam above the ground. The impact caused the beam to come down on the monster at her feet.

He screamed something miserable as he watched it come down on him.

Dust and debris rose once more, clouding the view of her nemesis momentarily. She waved it off for several long seconds until it cleared up and revealed a marvelous sight before her.

Goldar was impaled by the narrow metal beam, straight through what she imagined to be his heart. His blood was nothing like she'd imagined, not that she had ever before taken the time to imagine what his insides looked like. He gushed dark ooze, reminding her disgustingly of hot tar.

Kim approached him, pleased to see that he was still alive. She recognized the look of defeat on the once-mighty Goldar's face and took no pity on the monster that lay dying now.

She summoned her already-loaded power bow, something she had not even realized she _could_ do, and pulled back on the weapon, aiming directly at Goldar's forehead.

He was clearly unable to speak, death creeping upon him quickly now. But she would not let the beam be his demise. No, Goldar's death was _her_ right to claim.

"I can't _wait_ to do this to your master," she said firmly to him, just before she discharged the weapon into his head.

Goldar's body jolted momentarily before he died. Her arrow had gone through his skull, and now the sharp tip was jutting out of the other side.

There was sudden cheering, and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered that she and Goldar were not alone. She dropped the bow in her hands, and it disappeared in a flash of pink. She continued to stare at his body for several long moments, as though unsure if he was actually dead.

She remembered suddenly about James, and pulled her eyes away from Goldar in search for her friend.

"No, no, no…" she muttered miserably to herself as she staggered toward where James had fallen.

The crowd was growing more excited around her, now that Goldar was defeated. There was still desperate scuffling going on, and she caught a glimpse of a group of Putties being overwhelmed.

She found James, still crumpled on the ground. His skin was pale and she feared the worst. She couldn't see his face. His warm blood soaked her knees as she kneeled down at his side. She pulled him by the shoulder to turn him and see his face.

His brown eyes met hers.

To her dismay, he was still alive. She knew he was now suffering a painful death. She wished he had died instantly instead.

She sobbed and touched his face with her bare hands. She vaguely realized she must have de-morphed somehow without noticing. She couldn't feel the residual power any longer.

"James…" she cried as she cradled his face. His once-beautiful olive skin was now a sick shade of grey. Her clumsy hands wiped desperately at his mouth and chin to get the blood off, but to no avail.

His hand twitched and she immediately threw her small one into his. "It's going to be okay, James," she sobbed again. "I'm here… I won't leave you."

He shook his head ever so slightly, as if to tell her he was okay with dying.

"I'm here," she sobbed again. "Won't let anything happen to you."

_It's okay_, his eyes continued to convey to her again.

She ignored his silent message and continued to hold him. There was a lot of movement around her now. She guessed that people were trying to attend to the wounded and kill off the rest of the Putties now that the main floor was safe to approach.

"I'm here," she continued to chant softly. "I'm here."

The arena was echoing with murmurs, and she felt hundreds of eyes upon her. She wished they'd stop.

"I'm here, James."

She repeated her comforting words six more times before she realized that James had passed in her arms.

She choked on her last sob and looked down into his eyes, ones that had died as they looked upon her. She knew it wouldn't work, but she closed his eyes in an effort to make him look more peaceful.

It didn't. It made him look more… _dead_.

She shut her eyes and forced herself to stop crying.

"_Kim,_" a voice startled her.

"Andy?" Kim's senses were still numbed. Nevertheless, she looked up at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. She found him, kneeling on the other side of James's lifeless body and a visible gash on the side of his head.

Andy's voice did more than wake her from her reverie. She realized something very important: that there were other people still alive – other people in this world who needed her right now. She couldn't wallow in James's death.

Not yet, anyway.

She watched Andrew, who's eyes were now falling upon James in revulsion. She pitied him greatly. For it was not Kimberly's first day seeing death in terrible amounts, especially after her Ranger years. She should be _used_ to this. But with a heavy heart, she now knew James's death would not be her last.

"James…" Andrew breathed, as he reached down awkwardly to touch his chest.

Kim watched as his hand withdrew instantly. Rigor mortis was already beginning to set in.

Still cradling James's body, she asked Andrew shakily, "Are-are you okay? Your head-"

"I'm fine, really," Andrew replied quickly and awkwardly, looking away from James at up at her. His fingers grazed the dry blood along his new laceration. "It looks worse than it actually is. A beam came close to our seats-"

Her heart froze when he mentioned it. "My parents?!" Kim demanded frantically, her grip on James tightening involuntarily.

"Your mom and Pierre are fine!" he assured her. "Schmidt found us and ushered them out. I stayed behind to see what was going on…"

He trailed off. Kimberly swore inwardly. Now her boyfriend knew exactly what she was. The thought again reminded her that she must leave this arena and seek the others.

She looked away from Andrew pointedly. With extreme care, she placed James's head back down gently on the ground. She stood shakily, backing away from both of them in a daze.

"It's true then?" he asked seriously, grey eyes imploring hers for verbal confirmation. He looked at her with the same expression Gunther had given her earlier: like she was someone he'd never met. Andrew stepped over James and toward her. She felt uncomfortable under his demanding gaze. "That you were a Ranger, I mean?"

She shook her head and said evasively, "I _really_ don't have time for this, Andy-"

He reached forward to touch her. And to both of their surprise, she flinched and backed away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was soft and very hurt.

She sighed exasperatedly, her emotions becoming too overwhelming. "Look, I've got to go-"

"Go?" he asked, his eyes widening. "Go _where_?!"

"I've got to find the other Rangers," Kim explained. She looked down at herself. Her gold medal was now missing and her patriotic-themed windbreaker suit was dirty, torn, and laced in James's blood. She began to rip off the jacket hastily, revealing the top half of her leotard. To her dismay, his blood had soaked through on parts of that as well.

"Kim, I'm not mad that you didn't tell me," Andrew pleaded. "You _were_ a Ranger, right? That's in the past! Let whoever's stepped in your place take over! It's not your fight-!"

She looked up at him and knew he could not possibly understand. "But it is," she pleaded for him to accept it. "I _have_ to fight. And if I _can _help, why shouldn't I?"

"But you _can't_ help!" James cried out, taking her by the wrists. "You're just one person!"

Kim glared intensely up at him when his grip hardened on her. "I'm one person who did _that_." She gestured behind her at Goldar's lifeless body with a sharp nod. "And you know you can't stop me." Her voice was cooler than she'd intended.

Andrew must've realized that she took his grip on her as a threat. He let go instantly and backed away awkwardly. She felt a stab of guilt. He was _afraid _of her.

"The _world_ is under attack, Andy," she said. "The Space Rangers are _missing_. People are _dying – _everywhere!I'm one of the only people who can help!"

"But-," he started weakly.

"If I _don't_ go," she breathed, "_more people will die!"_

Her voice had become so shrill that he had to take another step back from her. She shook her head miserably at him and turned to leave. She had to find her communicator; the world couldn't wait for this discussion.

"Take care of James," Kim pleaded, eyes watering again when she looked down at her friend's body. "And look after my parents, would you?"

Andrew's pale worried face seemed lost under the flickering lights of the Arena. "Please, don't leave me," he begged softly.

She didn't reply. They both knew she would not honor his sincere request.

Their eyes locked, and she knew instantly that a great wedge had just been driven between the two of them. But she couldn't wait any longer to resolve her relationship. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Kimberly took off, disappearing from his view into the commotion of the crowd. She tried to ignore the stares and pointing as she sprinted by them. She tripped on a small body and nearly cried at her move to ignore it. She cringed when she caught a glimpse of a camera filming her as she continued to run.

Something inside of her told her she could never go back to being Kimberly Hart. She was now, in the eyes of the world, a permanent Ranger.

She ran forward, into the locker room and toward her wrist communicator.

Toward the people who she prayed were still alive.


End file.
